Do you or your
family have ancestral
ties to UnionCounty?Do you need an idea for a way to honor or memorialize someone?
Maybe you
would like to become a part of a preservation effort designed to
perpetuate the
story of the humble beginnings of our ancestors. Why not think about
becoming a
participant in an extraordinary endeavor by the Union County Historical
Society
and purchase a personalized brick in the Historic Brick Walk. Leading
from the
east entry of the Old Courthouse to the front of the structure housing
the
restored clock and bell exhibit, the walkway will become a wonderful
way to
make sure your generation has acknowledged your personal ancestral
history.

“Brick sales will also help
to fund the UnionCountyHeritageCenter.This cultural-historical center is designed
to preserve and interpret the way people lived over a century ago in
the north Georgiamountains.”

“The HeritageCenter will be
developed
on our 2 acre site in downtown Blairsville,
ideally
located just a block south of the Old Courthouse.Currently
the site contains a house built in
1906, to be restored and considered for the National Register, as well
as a log
cabin built in 1861, relocated from elsewhere in the county.”

“The center will gather threatened structures that are
important to the history of the county – structures such as a
smokehouse, a
blacksmith shop, a church, a schoolhouse, and a barn. These structures
will be
preserved and used as the setting for hands-on exhibits, living history
demonstrations, heritage craft workshops, native and historic
plantings, and a
working garden.”

“Together with the local history museum at the Old
Courthouse, the HeritageCenter will
provide
educational outreach to the schools and community and will serve as a
regional
heritage attraction.”

(Copied with
permission
from the Historical Society’s brochure promoting the Brick Walk
Project.)

Like the quotation at the beginning of
this article, our generation and our children’s generation should
acknowledge
the sacrifices and hardships our ancestors endured. What better way to
remember
them than that of placing your own commemorative brick alongside those
other UnionCounty
families that once shared the same hopes and dreams?